It's that time of year — to take a break from looking ahead at who's coming to Green Bay to look back at who entertained us best in 2017.

Resch Center: ‘A very, very good year’

» How you would recap 2017 at the Resch: “It was a very, very good year,” said Ken Wachter, president and CEO of PMI Entertainment Group, which manages the Resch, Brown County Veterans Memorial Arena and Shopko Hall. There were 14 concerts — 12 at the Resch and two at the arena. While there were some big country acts in the mix (Eric Church, Jason Aldean, Toby Keith), the genre didn’t dominate the bookings as it often does. Less than half of the concerts were country, with rock acts like Green Day, Def Leppard and Poison, Stevie Nicks, Bob Seger, Journey and In This Moment leading the way.

» The year’s best sellers: Eric Church, Green Day, Def Leppard and Poison, Bob Seger, Alan Jackson (second sellout in 2½ years), Miranda Lambert. Disney on Ice also had its best year at the Resch Center for both revenue and attendance. (It’s perhaps no coincidence it was the first year “Frozen” was part of one of the productions playing Green Bay). Two televised shows a year by WWE also have become a staple of the building. Because its productions are so big, WWE likes the additional 48,000 square feet of Shopko Hall, which provides a climate-controlled environment for some of its semis, Wachter said.

» The one show you wish you could have booked for back-to-back nights: Eric Church, who played to a crowd of 9,600, could’ve easily sold another show, Wachter said, as could have Green Day, which was sold out eight weeks before the date. “And that show was so good from an entertainment standpoint,” he said of Green Day.

» A memorable backstage moment: Wachter happened to be backstage when the 72-year-old Bob Seger came off stage prior to his encore. It was obvious he had given it his all, as he took a breather and chugged Gatorade with his band around him. “It was amazing to see how hard he worked for two hours of the show and then to take a 2-minute break and say, ‘Let’s go do this.’” “... He wanted to get out there and finish strong. I thought that was pretty neat.”

Also memorable: The outpouring of pet supplies and donations gathered in the Resch Center lobby during Miranda Lambert’s concert. The country star and animal lover asked her fans to help fill a little red wagon with donations for the local Happily Ever After Animal Sanctuary. The drive netted more than $900 and 1,200-plus pounds of dog and cat chow as well as assorted other supplies.

» Who or what’s looking strong for 2018: Jeff Dunham’s Passively Aggressive Tour on Jan. 11 and Tim McGraw & Faith Hill’s Soul2Soul The World Tour on July 6 are sold out, and Chis Young (with popular Kane Brown also on the bill) on Feb. 22 and Little Big Town on March 15 have been selling well, Wachter said. He anticipates announcing a couple of summer shows in the coming months and is hoping for returns by Trans-Siberian Orchestra and Cirque du Soleil in 2018.

PMI will continue to book events at Brown County Veterans Memorial Arena in 2018. The 59-year-old building will be replaced by a new expo center, but demolition likely won’t start until 2019, Wachter said.

Meyer Theatre: Comedy, classic country ruled

» How you would recap 2017 at the Meyer: “Probably one of our best years we’ve ever had,” said general manager Matt Goebel. “We’ll do up over 200 shows this year. That’s pretty good for us. Financially, it’s also one of the best we’ve done as far as attendance-wise and ticket sales-wise.”

Two genres in particular consistently drew well: comedy and classic country. Tom Segura, Bill Burr (with an Aaron Rodgers sighting in the audience), I Mom So Hard and Whose Live Anyway? all brought the laughs and the crowds. The Meyer also has found a niche with classic country acts like Kris Kristofferson, BlackHawk, Nitty Gritty Dirt Band and the Marshall Tucker Band, among others. The addition of local radio station Duke FM, which plays the genre, has helped to promote those shows.

» The one show you wish you could have booked for back-to-back nights: “The Violent Femmes, just because I think we could have easily sold another night,” Goebel said. There was talk with the promoter about doing two nights in Green Bay, but the Femmes ultimately decided to add another market to the band’s tour of its home state with a show in Oshkosh.

» A memorable backstage moment: Kris Kristofferson and his wife were getting ready to leave after his show in January when she asked Goebel if he would like a photo with the legendary singer/songwriter. Goebel couldn’t help but notice Kristofferson’s footwear. “I see he has these cowboy boots that are completely beat to heck. No leather left on them.” When he commented on them, Kristofferson replied, “Those are my lucky boots. I’ve had these boots since the first time I went onstage.” For an artist with a career that spans more than a half-century, that’s saying something. Goebel bets those boots are destined for the Country Music Hall of Fame someday.

» Who or what’s looking strong for 2018: Goebel is busy working on acts for next fall, with several shows on the calendar in 2018 selling well, including Louie Anderson on Jan. 26, Scott Bradlee’s Postmodern Jukebox on Feb. 7, Jefferson Starship on March 2 and “Weird Al” Yankovic on June 10, which is nearly sold out. The classic country keeps on coming with Shenandoah on Jan. 25 and Bellamy Brothers on March 22, and the Meyer will host its first Alligator Records Blues Festival on March 9 and 10.

Green Bay Distillery: No shortage of sold-out shows

» How you would recap 2017 at the Distillery: “It was a strong year. We had some great support from the area that led to eight sellouts and seems to be bringing in some new people to the area from surrounding markets,” said Ryan Vander Sanden, the booking agent and talent buyer for Bananas Entertainment and National Event Promotions who is responsible for booking nearly all of the shows at the venue.

» The one show you wish you could have booked for back-to-back nights: Technically, it’s not until 2018, but a double dip of the upcoming acoustic show on Jan. 5 with Brent Smith and Zach Myers of Shinedown would’ve been great, Vander Sanden said. “That show sold out in four days and is still getting an incredible amount of calls.”

» A memorable backstage moment: “Although it came at the end of 2016, the favorite backstage moment remains following Wes Scantlin down the street during the last Puddle of Mudd show, trying to convince him to go back onstage and finish the show. He did, and it was awesome.”

The backstory: For reasons that remain a mystery, Scantlin, who didn’t appear angry, disappeared from the stage about an hour into the show while the rest of the band played on. After a bit, Vander Sanden went backstage to check and spotted the lead singer walking down the street when he opened the back door. When Vander Sanden caught up with him, Scantlin assured him everything was cool and that he planned to go back onstage. He ended up playing another 45 minutes.

» Who or what’s looking strong for 2018: The return of Hairball on March 31 is sold out. In addition to rock, Vander Sanden anticipates more country acts and the addition of some comedy shows in the year ahead.

Alton Brown had some serious fun with his 20-foot popcorn popper when he came to the Weidner Center in May.(Photo: Courtesy of Weidner Center)

Weidner Center: Lots of popcorn and a ‘Cleesehead’

» A quick recap of 2017 at the Weidner: It was the year that John Cleese outed himself as “Cleesehead/cheesehead,” Ashwaubenon native Joel Hodgson brought his Mystery Science Theater 3000 Live! tour home, rising pop star Daya played to 1,300 young fans, Annie sang “Tomorrow” and Lily Tomlin canceled.

» The one show you wish you could have booked for back-to-back nights: “During my first week at the Weidner we had a performance of “Stomp,” a piece I certainly knew, but watching the audience of teens and 20-somethings file in was such a great reminder that there is a whole new generation of arts lovers who had yet to experience it,” said Kelli Strickland, who started Oct. 31 as the Weidner’s new executive and artistic director. “I watched from backstage as one of the original members of “Stomp” cheered on the new artists being brought into the show. It felt like a passing of the torch in so many ways: for audiences, for artists and for myself.”

» Memorable backstage moments: The Weidner was the last stop on Alton Brown’s Eat Your Science Tour in May. Thanks to his 20-foot popcorn popper onstage, the building’s stage and janitorial crew are still finding popcorn kernels in various nooks and crannies of Cofrin Family Hall. Members of the Weidner crew got a private concert when Gaelic Storm stopped by to record the song “Green, White and Orange” for Musicnotes.com. While waiting for the crew to finish load-out, members of the Champions of Magic tour entertained Weidner staff member Kellie Dejardin with close-up tricks using random items in the green room.

» Who or what’s looking strong for 2018: Strickland is excited about “Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Cinderella” for two shows March 21. “The music is so gorgeous, and it is a classic musical experience,” she said. The 20th anniversary tour of “Riverdance” is also doing two shows Feb. 20 and 21 (with a pre-show Irish dinner Feb. 21).

She’s also looking forward to local band Gypsy Trip recording its second album in Fort Howard Hall during a free concert April 26. “I think being in the audience during the recording of a live album feels so special,” Strickland said. “It’s like you are a part of history.”